Buying a used computer is a great way to save some money. Unfortunately, however, they often come with a host of risks that you need to consider carefully and eliminate before you are simply a "victim" of the seller! So let us share with you in this article the most common of these risks and how you can avoid them so that this used device works as if it was new.
The quality of any used technical device always depends on how the previous owner handled it. As such, some may have a good used computer experience, while others may have bad ones, possibly due to deception by the seller. Let me tell you that buying a used laptop or even a used PC case these days is risky. For example, a vendor might install malicious malware on this device and then sell it to someone else. If the user does not realize that the device is implanted with malware, the previous owner - or the seller - can harvest a huge amount of data and information motivated by extortion. There are many such situations that occur, but this does not mean that your only option is to purchase a new computer; You can still purchase used computers, but you should do so very carefully. Below, let's look at the risks of buying a used computer in 2019 and how you can properly avoid them so that you are not a victim.
What are the risks of buying a used computer?
1- May contain keylogger spyware
Sometimes, the previous owner implants a keylogger software or "keylogger" in the computer he is selling, and thus he will be able to track what the user is typing on the keyboard, including passwords, messages, bank account numbers ... and other sensitive information that can be It is obtained with this software which is difficult, if not impossible, to detect while using a computer. As such, you may end up giving your login information to the previous owner without your knowledge, and in the event that you do not enable the two-factor authentication feature on your important accounts, it will become really catastrophic!
2- It may contain spyware to track your activity
The previous owner might go a step further! It installs a malicious program that tracks your activity moment by moment. These programs can integrate with the operating system to perform certain tasks, for example, taking a screenshot at regular intervals during the day in order to capture something sensitive for you. Or, they might also add software that powers the built-in webcam for all-day watching. Of course, this is more dangerous than the "keylogger" program that we talked about above. Generally, a seller would plant this spyware if he knew that his computer would be used for profitable businesses. As such, if you are a business owner, you should take some additional steps to ensure that your company is not spied on or at least so that you are not a new victim of seller extortion.
3- It may contain malware for cryptocurrency mining
Sometimes, it's not just spying - the previous owner might even want to make more money with this device that he sold. One way it achieves this is by implanting malicious software that consumes processor power in order to mine digital currencies such as Bitcoin. While the user uses his computer that he just bought, the previous owner earns some extra cash by draining the processor's power in favor of mining. Worse still, users of devices infected with this software may not notice that there is cryptocurrency mining taking place on their used devices; Someone may complain that the computer is slow or jerks off a lot, because the processor is directing its entire power towards extracting the cryptocurrency. So, it may be far from espionage, but at the same time it is an oversight for the buyer!
4- It may contain illegal files
The previous owner might have downloaded a number of illegal files to their hard drive, like torrent movies, government documents, or something like that. When the computer sells to you, it deletes all the files, thinking that's enough to clean up the hard drive! Unfortunately, deleting files via the Delete button or by formatting does not mean that they are deleted forever - there are deleted file recovery programs. As such, if the previous owner deleted the files and then immediately sold the computer to you, the illegal files were still there. If someone checks deleted files from this computer, they might find some files indicting you that may cause you a problem that you have nothing to do with.
5- It may contain malware lurking in the operating system
Even if the previous owner is as innocent as possible of any direct harm to the buyer, he may have accidentally infiltrated his computer with a virus, this virus remains lurking in the device when he sells the computer to you without realizing it. Thus, if the owner of the device did not erase the hard drive properly, this virus may remain dormant in the hard disk when you, in turn, use it as the new user of it. But even if he wipes the hard drive correctly, some residual traces of the virus can hide in the BIOS chip on the motherboard. This makes it very flexible to have viruses - we explained before the most dangerous types of computer viruses, among them the kind that is difficult to get rid of.
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